This past week I requested 2 weeks off in June. My boss said that she was “taken aback” that I asked for PTO when I know that we need to focus on finishing our projects.
I said “we’re allotted a certain amount of vacation time, and if I don’t use it by the end of the year, I’ll lose it, and I’m not one to let time I earned go to waste”. My boss knows that my wife is a teacher and we can only really take time off in June and July.
She said “ok, I can approve it, but I’d like you to put in some extra hours between now and then, because it’s not a good look if you’re taking off while we’re busy”
I said “if we’re that busy, then we need to hire more staff – not deny vacations to people who earned it, and not require people to work unpaid overtime to use vacation time they earned. I’d be happy to help with the hiring process.”
I won this battle, but the war is very much ongoing. My boss is otherwise decent, but she buys into the workaholic attitude that is plaguing American companies. I left the conversation angry that I got gaslit about taking vacation, but proud of myself for standing my ground.